2014 US Open Men's preview: The favorites, dark horses and more...

We have reached that time of the year when the tennis world shifts its focus to the glamorous Grand Slam-the US Open. Three different winners have pocketed majors so far and it remains to be seen if it continues in New York. The tournament will not feature the defending champion Rafael Nadal, who withdrew due to a wrist injury. However, there are a few contenders, some of whom start favorites. There are others, the underdogs who can pull off a miraculous victory over their much fancied opponents.

The lead up to the Open sees the best players battling it out in Toronto and Cincinnati to be in best shape and form for a fortnight of gruelling tennis. No one could breach the stranglehold of the big four on Grand Slams until Stanislas Wawrinka changed it by winning the Australian Open where he beat both Nadal and Djokovic. It was Juan Martin Del Potro who started it right here in New York when he beat Roger Federer in a 5-set thriller to deny the Swiss his 6th consecutive US Open title.

Let us look at the draw and figure out who stands a chance of going all the way!

Novak Djokovic

First Quarter – Mr.Consistent and the hopefuls

Novak Djokovic is making it a habit of reaching Grand Slam finals. He has made 10 of the last 13 slam finals and is aiming to reach his 5th straight final here in New York. The No. 1 seed is presented with a tough draw this year and could face the likes of Murray and Wawrinka en route to the final. The Serb will be tested in the fourth round against Jo Wilfried Tsonga, who beat him convincingly in the Rogers cup.

Andy Murray on the other hand has a relatively safe passage to the quarterfinals with only Fernando Verdasco posing a minor threat. American No. 1 John Isner will have the backing of the crowd, but progressing beyond the fourth round will likely be a tough task for him. Julian Benneteau and Philipp Kohlschreiber will have to play the tennis of their life to make it to the Round of 16.

Prediction: Djokovic def. Murray

Dark horse: Radek Stepanek

Milos Raonic

Second Quarter- Big serves and power game

Stanislas Wawrinka couldn’t have asked for a better start to the year when he won the Australian Open. He followed it up with a win at the Monte Carlo Masters. Since then, it has been a rollercoaster year for the Swiss losing in the first round at Roland Garros and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.

Wawrinka struggles in the early stages of a slam. If he gets past those initial hurdles, he can beat anyone out there. Tommy Robredo, Mikhail Youzhny and Jeremy Chardy are possible opponents on his way to the fourth round.

Milos Raonic has lived up to his ranking thus far with good showing in the Grand Slams. The big serving Canadian should not break a sweat against Rosol, Nishikori or Leonardo Mayer as he attempts to reach another slam quarterfinal.

Prediction: Raonic def. Wawrinka

Dark horse: Kei Nishikori

Marin Cilic

Third Quarter- The eternal challengers

Tomas Berdych has been knocking on the top four’s door for eternity. The Czech at his best can trouble anyone in his path, but it is the consistency that has hurt him the most. He will take on Former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt in his opener and has to get past Klizan, Lopez and Cilic to reach the last 8. He has done it before, but the question is will he go one better this time?

David Ferrer looked in tremendous form in Cincinnati and only the genius of Roger Federer stopped him from winning the title. The No. 4 seed could likely face Marin Cilic in the fourth round and the Croat has a very good chance in dismantling the Spaniard. Do not write off Kevin Anderson who has shown plenty of promise in big matches.

Prediction: Cilic def. Lopez

Dark horse: Kevin Anderson

Roger Federer

Fourth Quarter- Genius at work

Roger Federer is seen as a favorite to the title at Flushing meadows with the absence of Rafael Nadal and his terrific form on hard courts. He is coming to New York after winning his 6th Cincinnati title and does not have a tough draw to contend with.

Ivo Karlovic, Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils do not pose much of a challenge for the 17-time Grand Slam champion to reach the quarterfinals.

“Baby Fed” Grigor Dimitrov is starting to show why he is touted as the next big thing in men’s tennis after reaching his first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon. It will be interesting to see how he maintains the composure in difficult moments of the match.

Prediction: Federer def. Dimitrov

Dark horse: David Goffin

Semifinals:

Semifinal 1:

Raonic took a set off Djokovic when they met at Roland Garros earlier this year. The Canadian has the serve to trouble the top seed, but the Serb is one of the best returners in the game and will get through with the loss of at most a set.

Prediction: Djokovic def. Raonic

Semifinal 2:

Roger Federer has been in umpteen Grand slam semifinals and the Croat Marin Cilic will be at the receiving end of a masterclass from the Swiss in the semifinals. The No. 14 seed has a solid baseline game and could provide Federer few hassles, but the No. 2 seed will progress to another final in New York.

Prediction: Federer def. Cilic

Final:

Federer and Djokovic have met in the US Open on five occasions. The Swiss has a 3-2 lead, but the Serb has won the last two times they faced. The No. 1 seed got the better of Federer in a classic Wimbledon final and even though its not been an ideal preparation for Djokovic heading into the last slam, he is known for producing his best tennis when it matters the most.

It will likely be another final to remember between these two wonderful athletes.

Prediction: Djokovic def. Federer